Parental Concerns About Their Premature Infants' Health After Discharge from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: a Questionnaire Survey for Anticipated Guidance in a Neonatal Follow-up Clinic

Overview

Journal Korean J Pediatr

Specialty Pediatrics

Date 2012 Sep 15

PMID 22977439

Citations 7

Authors

Ji-Yun Cho

Juyoung Lee

Young Ah Youn

Soon Ju Kim

So Young Kim

In Kyung Sung

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop an appropriate nursing information guideline according to corrected age, after investigating parents' concerns about the growth, development, and diseases of their premature infants after discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Methods: The parents of premature infants (birth weight, <2,500 g; gestational age, <37 weeks) who went to a neonatal follow-up clinic after NICU discharge at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital from January 2005 to December 2009, were asked with regard to their concerns about their infants through a questionnaire survey. The results of physical examinations, including body measurements and neurodevelopmental status at 4, 8, 12, and 18 months of corrected age, were retrospectively reviewed in 390 infants.

Results: The most common parental concerns were developmental delay, poor growth, and feeding and nutritional problems. Parental concerns about developmental delay, growth failure in improvement in body weight and length, and overweightness were high in specificity but very low in sensitivity. After NICU discharge, 30% of premature infants experienced infectious diseases before 18 months of corrected age, the most common of which was respiratory tract infection.

Conclusion: For guiding of premature infants in outpatient day clinics after NICU discharge, it is necessary to identify the parents' highest concerns, to educate them about the possibilities of growth and neurodevelopmental disabilities in their infants and to provide them with handouts containing guidelines on the management of infectious diseases, especially respiratory infections.

Citing Articles

After neonatal care, what next? A qualitative study of mothers' post-discharge experiences after premature birth in Kenya.

Maluni J, Oluoch D, Molyneux S, Boga M, Jones C, Murila F Int J Equity Health. 2025; 24(1):17.

PMID: 39833805 PMC: 11744954. DOI: 10.1186/s12939-024-02340-y.

Parent concerns for child development following admission to neonatal intensive or special care: From birth to adolescence.

Bater M, Stark M, Gould J, Anderson P, Collins C J Paediatr Child Health. 2022; 58(9):1539-1547.

PMID: 35661453 PMC: 9540761. DOI: 10.1111/jpc.16030.

NICU discharge preparation and transition planning: guidelines and recommendations.

Smith V, Love K, Goyer E J Perinatol. 2022; 42(Suppl 1):7-21.

PMID: 35165374 PMC: 9010297. DOI: 10.1038/s41372-022-01313-9.

Eating Behaviors, Caregiver Feeding Interactions, and Dietary Patterns of Children Born Preterm: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Walton K, Daniel A, Mahood Q, Vaz S, Law N, Unger S Adv Nutr. 2022; 13(3):875-912.

PMID: 35157009 PMC: 9156386. DOI: 10.1093/advances/nmac017.

Developing and implementing a health educational package for preemie moms in the care of their baby after hospital discharge.

Zakaria R, Sutan R, Jaafar R J Educ Health Promot. 2020; 9:113.

PMID: 32642469 PMC: 7325748. DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_497_19.

References

Breslau N, Chilcoat H . Psychiatric sequelae of low birth weight at 11 years of age. Biol Psychiatry. 2000; 47(11):1005-11. DOI: 10.1016/s0006-3223(99)00312-1. View

Hack M, Klein N, Taylor H . Long-term developmental outcomes of low birth weight infants. Future Child. 1995; 5(1):176-96. View

Demmelmair H, von Rosen J, Koletzko B . Long-term consequences of early nutrition. Early Hum Dev. 2006; 82(8):567-74. DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2006.07.004. View

Simeoni U, Ligi I, Buffat C, Boubred F . Adverse consequences of accelerated neonatal growth: cardiovascular and renal issues. Pediatr Nephrol. 2010; 26(4):493-508. DOI: 10.1007/s00467-010-1648-1. View

Cheong J, Hunt R, Anderson P, Howard K, Thompson D, Wang H . Head growth in preterm infants: correlation with magnetic resonance imaging and neurodevelopmental outcome. Pediatrics. 2008; 121(6):e1534-40. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2007-2671. View

Syddall H, Aihie Sayer A, Simmonds S, Osmond C, Cox V, Dennison E . Birth weight, infant weight gain, and cause-specific mortality: the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2005; 161(11):1074-80. DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwi137. View

Volpe J . Encephalopathy of prematurity includes neuronal abnormalities. Pediatrics. 2005; 116(1):221-5. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2005-0191. View

Hokken-Koelega A, de Ridder M, Lemmen R, HARTOG H, de Muinck Keizer-Schrama S, Drop S . Children born small for gestational age: do they catch up?. Pediatr Res. 1995; 38(2):267-71. DOI: 10.1203/00006450-199508000-00022. View

Koo K, Kim J, Lee S, Namgung R, Park M, Park K . Effect of severe neonatal morbidities on long term outcome in extremely low birthweight infants. Korean J Pediatr. 2010; 53(6):694-700. PMC: 2994138. DOI: 10.3345/kjp.2010.53.6.694. View

10.

Kan E, Roberts G, Anderson P, Doyle L . The association of growth impairment with neurodevelopmental outcome at eight years of age in very preterm children. Early Hum Dev. 2007; 84(6):409-16. DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2007.11.002. View

11.

Aylward G . Neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants born prematurely. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2005; 26(6):427-40. DOI: 10.1097/00004703-200512000-00008. View

12.

Treyvaud K, Anderson V, Howard K, Bear M, Hunt R, Doyle L . Parenting behavior is associated with the early neurobehavioral development of very preterm children. Pediatrics. 2009; 123(2):555-61. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2008-0477. View

13.

Bennett F, Scott D . Long-term perspective on premature infant outcome and contemporary intervention issues. Semin Perinatol. 1997; 21(3):190-201. DOI: 10.1016/s0146-0005(97)80063-8. View

14.

Gale C, OCallaghan F, Bredow M, Martyn C . The influence of head growth in fetal life, infancy, and childhood on intelligence at the ages of 4 and 8 years. Pediatrics. 2006; 118(4):1486-92. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2005-2629. View

15.

Wit J, Finken M, Rijken M, de Zegher F . Preterm growth restraint: a paradigm that unifies intrauterine growth retardation and preterm extrauterine growth retardation and has implications for the small-for-gestational-age indication in growth hormone therapy. Pediatrics. 2006; 117(4):e793-5. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2005-1705. View

16.

Aylward G, Pfeiffer S, Wright A, Verhulst S . Outcome studies of low birth weight infants published in the last decade: a metaanalysis. J Pediatr. 1989; 115(4):515-20. DOI: 10.1016/s0022-3476(89)80273-2. View

17.

Lucas A . Long-term programming effects of early nutrition -- implications for the preterm infant. J Perinatol. 2005; 25 Suppl 2:S2-6. DOI: 10.1038/sj.jp.7211308. View

18.

Bhutta A, Cleves M, Casey P, Cradock M, Anand K . Cognitive and behavioral outcomes of school-aged children who were born preterm: a meta-analysis. JAMA. 2002; 288(6):728-37. DOI: 10.1001/jama.288.6.728. View

19.

Kaaresen P, Ronning J, Ulvund S, Dahl L . A randomized, controlled trial of the effectiveness of an early-intervention program in reducing parenting stress after preterm birth. Pediatrics. 2006; 118(1):e9-19. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2005-1491. View

20.

Hediger M, Overpeck M, Maurer K, Kuczmarski R, McGlynn A, Davis W . Growth of infants and young children born small or large for gestational age: findings from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1998; 152(12):1225-31. DOI: 10.1001/archpedi.152.12.1225. View